Golnaz Sadri

Developing corporate culture as a competitive advantage

Defines the concept of corporate culture and shows how it affects organizations (both positively and negatively). Corporations that have been successful in establishing and fostering positive cultures are profiled. The authors find that an effective culture must be aligned with employee values and be consistent with the environment in which the organization operates. While it is best to establish a positive culture with which employees can identify during an organization’s infancy, it is possible to change an existing culture. Such change is best accomplished by modeling desired behavior at all levels of management and by planning events that foster frequent interaction among cross‐functional employees. Concludes that a positive culture can provide a significant competitive advantage.

Managing Your Diverse Workforce through Improved Communication.

Diversity in the workforce has become a demographic reality across the globe. There has been some debate amongst academics and practitioners over how to deal with employee diversity. Many agree that organizations should aim to manage diversity rather than simply value it or rely on affirmative action policies. Proposes that improvements in supervisor‐subordinate communication will assist organizations toward the goal of managing diversity by promoting integration and equality in the workplace. Recommends two strategies for accomplishing better supervisor‐subordinate communication: managing personal growth and mentoring. The former may be implemented successfully in the short term while the latter takes a long‐term focus. Concludes that in order for any managing diversity program to succeed, managers and supervisors need to demonstrate their commitment to the program and to communicate the relevance, importance and benefits of such programs to all employees throughout the organization.

Do all carrots look the same? examining the impact of culture on employee motivation

Investigates primary differences between employee motivation in the USA and Japan. Spotlights how workers in both countries work towards promotion and advancement. Stresses that Americans are individualists and that the Japanese are organization‐loyal. Concludes self‐actualization is likely to mean different things to employees in both cultures.

An examination of academic and occupational stress in the USA

Attempts to identify some important variables that contribute to occupational and academic stress and to estimate their direct and indirect effects on various outcome measures (such as mental health, physical health, job satisfaction and scholastic grade point average). Based on previous research, proposes and tests a model of academic and occupational stress, using data collected from 247 individuals employed in diverse organizations in the Orange County and Los Angeles areas, who were enrolled in either undergraduate or graduate courses at a major university in the southern California region. Claims that the results of the analysis support the proposed model of stress. Outlines the implications of the findings for research and practice in education and management.

A study of agentic self‐efficacy and agentic competence across Britain and the USA

The reality of working in multicultural environments, in multinational companies and in a global marketplace have made an understanding of potential cultural and country differences imperative. Focuses on two constructs relevant to the study of work‐related behaviour, agentic self‐efficacy and agentic competence. Self‐efficacy may be defined as an individual’s judgement of his/her capability to organize and execute a course of action required to attain a designated type of performance. Agentic behaviour includes creating and/or taking advantage of opportunities, risk‐taking behaviour, assertiveness in the protection of one’s rights and in the pursuit of one’s goals, persistence in goal pursuits, and willingness to change one’s situation to achieve a better fit with interests, aspirations and expectations. Examines differences in agentic competence and agentic self‐efficacy across two countries: Britain and the USA. No significant differences emerged from the results, indicating the cross‐country applicability of the two concepts examined. Suggests that further research of this nature, across a broader range of constructs and countries, is needed.

Reflections: The impact of downsizing on survivors ‐ some findings and recommendations

Assesses the impact of downsizing and lay‐offs on the workers who remain with the company ‐ survivors. Argues that while the primary aim of downsizing is to improve efficiency and productivity, this is not always achieved owing to decreased motivation and job security among survivors. Outlines ways in which organizations can overcome these difficulties and suggests five possible strategies they can adopt to lessen any negative effects of lay‐offs. Concludes by stating that these will help companies achieve their goal of optimum efficiency.

Personality, job level, job stressors, and their interaction as predictors of coping behavior.

Hypotheses concerning the relationships among job stressors, job level, personality, and coping responses were investigated in a sample of 305 electrical contracting employees. Coping behaviors were measured with questionnaire items based on interviews conducted with a sample of the subjects. Neuroticism (N) and Extraversion (E) were the personality variables most strongly related to coping behavior. Overall, more coping variance was explained by personality than by job stressors; however, when the effects of job level and job stressors were combined, they explained more variance in complaining/quitting and seeking social support than did the personality variables. Both work situation and personality seem to be important variables in the choice of coping behaviors. There was no evidence of interactions among personality, stressors, and job level in explaining coping behavior.

Methodological issues in assessing training effectiveness

The basic aim of any training intervention is to effect some form of change. In assessing change that occurs after a period of training, researchers may tap one or all of three conceptually different kinds of change: alpha, beta and gamma. In alpha change, the participant′s report of change is unbiased between time one and time two (the pre – and post‐ratings) because it is based on an instrument that has been continuously calibrated. Beta change refers to an apparent change where the measuring instrument has been recalibrated by the participant during the measurement intervals, that is, individual perceptions of the response scale have changed. Gamma change refers to a situation where the participant redefines or reconceptualizes some other relevant information. Although pre‐test, post‐test evaluation designs continue to be used, the problems of beta and gamma change are apparent in the majority of experimental interventions looking at individual change using self‐report pretest and post‐test ratings. Di...

Resolving conflict: examining ethnic‐racial and gender differences

This study examines levels of effectiveness as well as preferences in styles of resolving conflict among three ethnic‐racial groups (Asian, Mexican‐American, Mexican, Chicano and White) and between men and women. The goal was to test two hypotheses with respect to handling interpersonal conflict. First, Whites would show a greater preference for assertive modes of behaviour while Mexican‐Americans, Mexicans, Chicanos and Asians would favour non‐assertive modes of behaviour. Second, that men would demonstrate more assertive behaviours while women would be likely to demonstrate more non‐assertive behaviours. Data were collected from 282 Economics students (55 per cent male, 45 per cent female; 44 per cent Asian, 41 per cent White (non‐Hispanic), 15 per cent Mexican‐American, Mexican, Chicano). Both hypotheses were supported. Implications of these results and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Behaviour Modelling Training: The Effect of Variations in Retention Processes

Previous research on the use of behaviour modelling techniques for training in industry have shown it to be generally effective. Further, more specific work has suggested that effectiveness might be improved by the use of techniques (symbolic coding and rehearsal) designed to improve trainees’ retention processes. This study examined the use of symbolic coding (learning points) and rehearsal techniques in behaviour modelling training. The data were derived from a field experiment conducted in a UK financial services organisation. Although, as expected, the behaviour modelling approach did produce effective learning the results showed that, contrary to hypotheses, variations in symbolic coding (different learning points conditions) and rehearsal did not influence training outcomes.